Yvonne Printemps, Pierre Fresnay, music by Offenbach. (1948). 92m. French, with English subtitles. B&W
PAL VHS ONLY
"Yvonne Printemps, Enchantress," an article by Robert Connolly
Delightful, witty, with 20 songs. In a selection from Fortunio, Printemps' is singing that is sensed in the soul.--Stefan Zucker
Paris Waltz, written and directed in 1948 by Marcel Archard as a showpiece for Printemps and Fresnay, relates the story of Jacques Offenbach and his beautiful and tempestuous prima donna Hortense Schneider. As one of the last monstres-sacrés of the French musical stage, Printemps was delighted to portray her 19th-century counterpart.
Schneider (1833-1920), a tailor's daughter from Bordeaux, ran off to Paris at 16, hoping for a career in the theater. Strikingly beautiful, she was noticed by the celebrated actor Berthelier, who in turn introduced her to Offenbach. She quickly became the most popular operetta star in Paris, creating the leading roles in his La Belle Hélène, La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein, La Vie Parisienne, Barbe-Bleue and La Périchole. A practical young lady, she realized that fame and beauty were fleeting and that she had to think of her future. Accordingly, she received in her dressing room, among others, the Prince of Wales, Czar Alexander II with his son the Grand Duke Vladimir (they argued in public about who would go first), Kaiser Wilhelm of Prussia, the Sultan of Turkey, the King of Sweden, the Khedive of Egypt and Chancellor Bismarck. The diamonds and rubies piled up. For nearly two decades she was the undisputed queen of the French musical stage, the most talked-about woman in Paris and the most celebrated grande horizontale of the time. We do not know much about how she sang; the music critics, bedazzled, never got around to that.
Printemps, appearing in La Revue de Paris in 1918, noticed an old woman applauding her vigorously: it was Schneider. The former queen of the Second Empire was passing the torch of glory to the future queen of the Third Republic. Schneider died in 1920 at 87, a venerable, imposing woman, dedicated to acts of charity.
In Paris Waltz, Printemps, photographed beautifully (she was 54 at the time) with gowns by Christian Dior, sings exquisitely and often; her "Dites-lui" from La Grande-Duchesse is particularly lovely. The non-singing M. Fresnay, is, as ever, gallant and good-humored, leaving the spotlight to Printemps. The sets are by Bakst, and the atmosphere of the Second Empire is stunningly recreated.
We are told that the voice was small. Nevertheless, it could be heard without difficulty in the theaters in which she performed, and for more than 50 years. Her breath control was extraordinary, and the listener finds himself holding his own breath at her seemingly endless pianissimos (listen to her "Dites-Lui"). One regrets that she never recorded an album of Offenbach. But then again, maybe the soundtrack to this film is that album.--Robert Connolly
Go to reviews of Paris Waltz and Three Waltzes by Tully Potter in International Opera Collector and John Ardoin in The Dallas Morning News
PLEASE NOTE: THE VHS VERSION OF THIS TITLE IS AVAILABLE ONLY IN PAL VHS, which is generally NOT compatible with systems in North America, Central America, Japan, South Korea and to a degree in South America unless you have a multi-system. See our compatibility page if you are unsure which format is right for you.
